Xantippe Resources Ltd (ASX:XTC, OTC:XTCPF) has received promising initial geophysical results that indicate brine saturated layers down to 600 metres depth at its Carachi project in Catamarca, Argentina.
The results delivered by Conhidro SRL also show semi-saturated brine layers from 150 metres down to 300 metres depth from the high-purity lithium brine area of Carachi Pampa.
The company has also submitted its permitting process for drilling and is waiting for approval.
"Very encouraging"
"These are very encouraging results showing great potential for a large volume of brine at depth," Xantippe COO Gabriel Pindar said.
"Now that the permitting process is underway, we can concentrate on mobilising resources to cover hydrogeology and processing, as well as community and environment."
It’s a busy time for Xantippe across its projects, with today’s news coming just a week after the company finished its maiden drill program at the Blanche Lithium Prospect in the Southern Cross Project in Western Australia.
Drilling down
Xantippe completed Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) in 33 locations – 100% of the total geophysical program for this area of northern Argentina.
The salar was found to be composed of five main layers, consisting of:
- a Very Resistive upper layer that has a thickness of 1-metre to 20 metres;
- two Resistive layers from 20 to 300 metres; and
- two Very Conductive and Conductive layers from 150 metres to 600 metres.
This indicates the presence of highly saturated brine at depth.
With all this going on, Xantippe also started the permitting process to drill down to 500 metres to test both lower layers, which will encompass brine sampling at discrete 10-metre intervals using packers to isolate each layer, core sampling to test drainable porosity of each unit as well as down-hole geophysics to carry electrical logging and gamma ray down the hole.
Xantippe expects to finish drilling in batteries of 3 to 4 wells around 25 metres from each other to carry out pump tests of the confined and unconfined aquifers.
About Carachi
The Carachi Lithium Project sits inside the world-renowned Lithium Triangle in South America that covers areas of Argentina, Chile and Bolivia.
The Carachi Project comprises 21,900 hectares and is in a region of Argentina that includes the Hombre Muerto Salar where a US$840 million lithium mine is under development by the Korean multinational corporation POSCO.
Livent Corporation has been producing lithium in the southwest part of Hombre Muerto for more than 25 years.
Allkem Resources also has a large development stage lithium project in the south part of Hombre Muerto salar.
At the district level, the Carachi Project is adjacent to Lake Resources NL (ASX:LKE, OTCQB:LLKKF)’s Kachi Lithium Project that is well advanced in its development stage.